


For Now and Later

by sansapotter



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mutual Pining, christmas in july
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11861853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansapotter/pseuds/sansapotter
Summary: “Sansa it’s your turn,” Jon watched Catelyn hand her daughter the gift Jon had wrapped himself. Not that the mall had a wrapping station this time of year. Nobody did Christmas in July like the Starks. An artificial tree stood proud, strung up with tinsel, and lights, it even smelled real, but perhaps that was from the candles burning across the house.





	For Now and Later

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a birthday gift for [ goodqueenalys ](http://goodqueenalys.tumblr.com/) last year on tumblr, and I stumbled across it again today and realize it wasn't posted, so here we go :)

“Sansa it’s your turn,” Jon watched Catelyn hand her daughter the gift Jon had wrapped himself. Not that the mall had a wrapping station this time of year. Nobody did Christmas in July like the Starks. An artificial tree stood proud, strung up with tinsel, and lights, it even smelled real, but perhaps that was from the candles burning across the house. 

Jon bounced his foot anxiously, Robb nudged him, giving him a pointed look that thankfully nobody else noticed. She lifted the lid off of the box, the metallic gold reflecting off her face, eyes widening. Jon’s stomach dropped, she was going to hate it; she would think he was giving her too much. It was redemption really, and he’d only purchased part of it this year. 

Gently Sansa lifted the gift from the box, Gilly helped him wrap it in an emerald scarf, a quick google search helped him choose the color. She set it on her lap to loosen the knot, and a soft gasp escaped her as it fell away. “Robb was this you?”

“Nope,” Robb said with a grin. “But I know there’s more to it.” God damn, he was hoping she wouldn’t open it until later. 

Jon had always been included in the tradition when they were kids. Ned or Catelyn would take each child to the mall individually, which was a commitment and a treat in and of itself, when the tradition started the limit was fifteen dollars, as they grew up and made their own money the limit increased. 

The last time he picked Sansa’s name he was thirteen, shopping with Ned, and completely infatuated with his best friend’s younger sister. He loved running errands with Ned, who offered good advice, and treated him like a son, so he didn’t mind so much that they had to make a stop before going to the mall. One look around the store, dimly lit by mismatched chandeliers, told Jon that everything was too expensive to touch. He hovered at the glass counter, kept his hands out of his pockets, and off the glass. 

The comb and mirror set were on display, set in antiqued gold. It was very glamorous looking, probably a little grown up too, but it reminded Jon of the mirror in Sansa’s favorite Disney movie. The handwritten price tag doubled the Secret Santa limit, and Jon felt his heart sink. It would have been perfect. 

In the end Ned had talked the owner into selling one half of the set, just at the limit, but it wasn’t enough in Jon’s mind, he wanted to give her the mirror himself. He spent all of July mowing lawns to get the money together, managing to buy and wrap it in time for the party. Then he started to second guess himself, and in the end left the mirror at home, still wrapped, and begged Robb to take credit for the gift if asked. 

As it happened, Sansa loved the brush, and as she grew up she took to decorating almost around it. She had a place of her own now, Jon helped her move in, listening to her ideas for rooms as he hammered nails into the wall. She was more forthcoming with him when nobody else was around, he didn’t tease her about her taste in decor, which was expensive looking and a little too romantic. Jon thought the jewelry box would be nice in the foyer, on top of the entry table they set up together. 

The more time they spent together the more he realized that even if she wasn’t interested in having him as her boyfriend, he wanted to be in her life, he wanted to make her happy. So he took the mirror from its box in storage, still wrapped in the paper he painstakingly selected at thirteen, and put it inside of the jewelry box. Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized what it was. The reaction had little faces peering up to see what she held in her hands. 

“This is too much,” she whispered, tracing her fingers along the ridges on the back. Arya opened hers next, and Sansa took her seat between himself and Robb on the couch. “It matches the brush you got me,” she whispered pointedly to her brother, and Jon felt his blush creep up his neck. She must have missed the card at the bottom of the box. She wouldn’t know it was from him, and that was totally fine.

After the gift exchange (Jon was given a deck of gift cards for all the places he liked, solid), everyone wandered outside to watch fireworks, eat homemade ice-cream, and drank beer from glasses rimmed in cinnamon. Sansa leaned against his arm, smiling as she watched Arya and Rickon chase Gendry with sparklers, shrieking with delight. 

“Thank you,” her voice was soft, and his heart leapt. 

“What for?”

“You’re comfy,” she pressed closer, he felt flutter of her eyelashes on his bicep. “Do you know what’s funny?” She shifted, taking his arm and wrapping it around her. She’d done the same with Robb, sometimes SmallJon, even Theon, he tried not to read into it when she did it with him. “You’ve never picked me, we’ve been doing Secret Santa for forever, and in the fifteen years you’ve been doing it with us you’ve never drawn my name.”

He shouldn’t lie to her, if there was anything Sansa really hated it was a liar. “Have you drawn me?” She hummed in the affirmative against him, “really? When?”

“When I was sixteen, Joff was so mad at me for taking so much time to pick it out.” his arm tightened at the sound of her ex’s name. She tapped the cuff on his wrist, the leather had gone soft with time, “so I’m glad you still like it.” 

“That was you?” He felt so cool when he wore it, he never figured out who gave it to him. It made sense now, they had shaped each other unknowingly. “You never said anything.”

“Of course I didn’t, it was a secret wasn’t it?” She was smiling, he could hear it in her voice. “I thought you maybe had me once.”

“Twice,” he said before he could stop himself.

“Really?” She pulled away to look at him, “when?” He hesitated, it was a long story, and what if she was mad that he hadn’t been forthcoming from the start. She noticed his reluctance immediately, giving him a sharp poke. “I told you my secret!”

“It’s a little embarrassing,” he began, knowing he would have to continue at the sharp raise of her brow. “I had a crush on you for a while, did you know that?” Her face softened at that, and she shook her head, transforming into the shy, observant girl he’d come to know. She pulled his arm around her again, easing back and listening. “Well I wanted to do something nice for you, and I wanted to give you a second gift after. When it came time to do it I felt a little stupid.”

“I knew you gave me that brush.” She laughed sweetly, like she might be laughing at herself.

“You did not!”

“I know Robb didn’t give it to me,” she said pointedly, still smiling. “And I know Robb wouldn’t lie for just anyone.” 

“Fair point.” He felt his blush creep up his neck, she was going to put it all together.

“So since you gave me the mirror, it’s lovely by the way, does that mean you have a crush on me again?”

“I’m a little old to have a crush aren’t I?” He countered, “It was either give it to you today, or have to explain to someone why I had a hand mirror wrapped in my closet.”

“That’s a shame.” She hummed, taking a pull of her beer.

“What is?”

“That you’re too old to have a crush on me.” She shrugged, “because I quite like you.” She tipped her head back to smile at him. 

“Really?” 

“Yes really,” she laughed at his disbelief. “And maybe I misread things, but I was pretty sure you liked me too.” She spoke like she knew he did, “it’s a pity. I thought we’d be really good together,” She plucked up his glass, “you think about it. I’ll get us another.” She all but sauntered away, and Jon stumbled as he climbed off of the picnic bench to chase after her. 

“Maybe I lied,” Jon said catching her around the waist and hauling her against him. She dropped the glasses to spear her hands through his hair, smiling against his lips, then bumping her nose against his.

“That’s two in one day. Don’t you make lying to me a habit Jon,” for the first time since their conversation began all teasing disappeared.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on [ tumblr ](http://sansapotter.tumblr.com/) too :)


End file.
